The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-02-09
REV. DR.. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Flying Doves"

When God would set fast a beautiful
thought He plants it in tree. When He
would make it float the waters He fashions it
into fish. When He would have it glide
the air He molds it into bird. For some
very great fascination. The blackbird,
floating like q fake of the darkness
through the sunshine. The meadow lark,
with head of fawn and throat Of velvet, and
breast of gold The red tamingo, flying over
the swamp like spark struck from the forge
of the setting sun. The pelican, black and
white, morning and night tangled in his
than Heaven, because they are all the time
vacillating between the two. do not Won
der that Audubon took his gun and tramped
through the American forests to find some
new specimens of birds Biologists have
given whole years to find the track Of bird 3
! claw in the new red sandstone. There is
enough of Gods architecture in snlpe'S bill
or grouse's foot to confound all the univer-
sites Musicians have tried with bars and
clefs to represent the mu'ic of the nightin-
| gale and the robin. One of the first things
| that child notices is the swallow at the
caves Of the house, while gran lfather
comes out with q handful Of crumbs
to feed the snowbirds. "Behold the fowls OF
| the air." said Christ in His Fl eat sermon, and
Isaiah, looking forward to the time when
there would be great multitude Of people
coming to Christ and coming to the church,
is reminded of flock of pigeons alighting on
coop, and then all those pigeons together
trying to get into the window Of the coop,
and he cries out in the words Of my text:
"Who are these that fly as cloud, and as
the doves to their wiudows!"
This is a memorable dayin Brooklyn Tab
ernacle. On other days we drop the net; to,
day we haul it ip. On other days we send
out invitations 10 the Kings party; to-day
we sit at the banquet On other days we
fight the battls; to-day we claim victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Men and
prayed for the advancement of this church,
take into your soul to-day with high salts
faction all this scene: Bring garlands
ton to celebrate this harvest home.
Oh the merry Of God. People tell me it is
notion. Then | put on it four swift sailing
crafts, with choice rigging and with compass
and chart and with skilltul navigators and
tell them to lauach away and tell US the e1-
tent of this o.ean Of Gods mercy. And
they start, and one ship goes to the north,
and another to che south, and another to the
east, and another to the west, and they sail on
ten thousand years. and after a while they
come up to tho harbor Of Heaven and some
one cries from the Heavenly land: Have you
they reply: No shore, no shore to
Gods mercy" And then swift an.
gels arc dispatched from the throne,
and they try to fly across this ocean
of divine mercy, and they fly on ten thou
sand years, and they fly on q million years
and then come back, and they fold their
wings at the foot OF the throne of God, and
some one cries out: Have you found the
shore to the ocean of Gods mercy" And
fhov Nh Shnra n chnra m rho
OF God 5 mercy" Mercy, mercy! sing it,
plead it, pny it. Here is a man bound
hand and foot by Satan, ard one stroke of
this Gospel hammer makes him everlast-
ingly free. Mercy, mercy There is
no height it carnot clear. There is no depth
it cannot fathom. There is no immensityy it
cannot compass. When large number of
tion that arises is, who are they What has
been their character Where did they
come from What is their history And
so looking off upon this great multitude who
to-day have connected themselves with the
Christian church, | cry out in the
words Of my text "Who are these that fly
rs cloud and rs the doves to their windows!
They are slaves who have been emancipated.
they are soldiers who have enlisted for
thirty years war; they are heirs of immor-
tality; they are blood-washed throng This
multitude who flock into the kingdom Of God
to-day are like doves to their windows be-
cause they fly low. The eagle darts up as
though with his beak to strike the
sun, and many Of the other birds fly
SO high that sometimes they appear
like specks against the SKY. and you
cannot tell the contour of their bodies,
OF the style of their plumage If a sports
man discharges his gun at them they are so
high up they do net for an instant change
their course. But the pigeons fly low. They
fly all around the roof of the house, they fly
around the door. They are afraid of great
excursions They arc like the souls
who this day come into the dove.
cote Of Gods mercy, wanting no high
things, willing to como down at the feet of
Christ willing to crawl under the table and
take the crumbs that fall from the Masters
table. Not so were they once Once they
were proud; once they were pufPed up; once
they were inexorable; once perhaps they
were very hard 10 please, but not now. They
come into the dovecot of Gods mercy.
the the years year. Of Of their heir sin"sins % 'o'l Of by
hood, girlhood, manhood, womanhocd,
dark brooding, deathful sins, sins against
God sins againsttb Bible, sins against their
soul, sins against the judgment day, sins
against a long eternity. They remember all
IuoSc lucy ny 1O". hnNo aSa.0
that in England, in an institution Of charity
where people are taken and cared! for, that
before they take off the rags Of their poverty
and wash Of the filth Of ther abomination,
a picture is taken Of them as they
are so that in after time they
may remember what the institution has done
for them. And here is picture Of what we
were before Christ redeemed us. we were
in the rags Of our sins and the filth OF our
abomination. Unclean, unclean! Though
now in the light and the peace and. the pros
perity OF the gospel, and robed in the right
eousness of the Son of God, let US once in a
while como and look at the old picture OF
what we once WERE Then we will fly
low. Those souls who come into the kingdom
to-day should remember that they are coming
into the presence of God who hates sin. He
abhors iniuuity. He cannot abide trans
gressons. He slew the $4,000 of Sennach-
cribs host in a night "Holy holy, holy Is
the Lord God Almighty" Fly low! An
emperor thousand years ago planted rose
bush which is blooming yet. and nineteen
centuries ago. at tho foot Of the cross OF the
Son of God, q rel rose was planted which IS
blooming yet. You want to stoop down and
pluck that rose. You want to stoop down
and breathe that fragrance. Oh, for more
of the humility of the Gospel. Oh, for moro
Of the childlike spirit. Let us fly low.
This multitude who flock into the Kingdom
of God also come like doves to their windows
because they fly for shelter. The albatross
makes a throne of the tempest. The sea-
gulls have q frolic in the storm. and the
higher the surf dances the better they are
pleased. But the pigions at the first blow OF
the northeast storm HE to the dovecot, and
when the birds of prey, with flashing eye
and iron beai and filthy talons come down
the pigeons, the doves, Immediately HE to
the dovecot And so it is with those who